Vietnam is investigating new mass fish deaths along its central coast, an
official said Friday, months after a major steel plant was blamed for a toxic
leak that wiped out tonnes of marine life in the fishing hub.

The U.S. Navy plans to conduct another passage near disputed islands in the
East Vietnam Sea in early April, a source familiar with the plan said on
Friday, the third in series of challenges that have drawn sharps rebukes from
China.

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Forces will visit Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay next
fiscal year -- a critical step in Tokyo's efforts to beef up operations in the
South China Sea and counter Chinese expansion together with allies.

Two US Navy ships Friday practiced new rules for maritime conduct with
Vietnamese naval forces in the East Sea the Vietnamese term for the South
China Sea to ensure safe communication when they meet again.

A Vietnamese fishing boat captain said his vessel was attacked this month by
the crew of a Chinese law enforcement ship near the disputed Paracel islands,
risking a fresh escalation in tensions in the South China Sea.

Japan will give six navy boats to Vietnam to boost its patrols and
surveillance in the South China Sea, Japan's foreign minister said on Friday,
in the latest sign of a strengthening of alliances between states locked in
maritime rows with China.

Vietnam expects to take delivery of coastguard ships from Japan early next
year, the country's vice defense minister said on Sunday, as Hanoi looks to
boost its defenses amid a territorial row with China in the South China
Sea.